Nippon-Ham pitcher Takayuki Kato made his final adjustments with catch practice and sprints in preparation for his start against Rakuten Eagles on the 9th (Rakuten Eagles Mobile).
In his first appearance of the season against Lotte on the 2nd (at Escon Stadium), he pitched brilliantly, allowing only four hit and no runs over six innings, earning his first win of the season. He said, "I think my fastball was really good, and I've been able to maintain that, so I want to keep working hard."
Regarding Rakuten Eagles lineup, he expressed caution, saying, "I think they're all in good form, and as I saw yesterday (the 7th), they're using pitcher. I hope I can pitch tenaciously."
![[Photo] Kasumi Mori's "cutesy" fox dance! Headband x tail x beautiful legs](https://hochi.news/images/2025/07/05/20250705-OHT1I51269-L.jpg)
![[Nippon-Ham] Takayuki Kato to start in the second game of the season... Regarding his preparation so far, he said, "I had some health issues, but I'd give myself about a 70 out of 100."](https://hochi.news/images/2025/03/29/20250329-OHT1I51028-L.jpg)
![[Nippon-Ham] Takayuki Kato delivers a great pitch to Sho Nakata, who has announced his retirement, calling him "a truly kind senior"... Today's game Rakuten](https://hochi.news/images/2025/08/15/20250815-OHT1I51404-L.jpg)
![[Yakult] Keiji Takahashi, who will start in the game against Hanshin Tigers on the 8th, said he is being cautious, saying, "I will try not to let runner get on base before the 3rd, 4th, and 5th batters."](https://hochi.news/images/2025/04/07/20250407-OHT1I51173-L.jpg)
![[Lotte] Haruya Tanaka will start in the home game Orix on the 27th, with caution, saying "There are many hitter who can swing well overall"](https://hochi.news/images/2025/05/26/20250526-OHT1I51223-L.jpg)
